Of Heirs and Knights
by DaughterofleFandoms
Summary: On the night of John's 18th birthday, his father, the King of Breath, throws a ball in order to help John choose a spouse. Only, the heir didn't expect to be swept off his feet by a certain Knight. Dave x John, Hammertime, Pepsicola. Rated T, but the rating might change...
1. First Encounter: The Maze

Once upon a time there lived a prince named John. This young lad just so happened to be the heir of the Kingdom of Breath. For the past week, his father has been nagging him about finding a spouse so that he may rule the lands with someone at his side. But John wasn't really into that thing.

No, this heir wanted to stay inside, reading books upon books about the adventures of heroes. About tales of embarking on epic quests and meeting a guardian along the way. So no, John Egbert was most certainly not going to marry any time soon.

Knowing this, his father took matters into his own hands. For centuries, the Breath Kingdom maintained close relations with the neighboring kingdom, Light. Because of this, John kept in touch with the young fortuneteller, Rose. The king of breath rejoiced upon remembering this. Perhaps Rose shall be John's suitor.

Concocting a plan, the king held a ball the following week on April 13, John's 18th birthday. Nobles from across the lands were invited to try to steal the heart of the young heir and to, of course, eat and dance as much as they desired.

During the beginning of the event, John sat upon the throne as his father introduced him to many new and exotic faces. However, no one really caught his attention therefore he excused himself. After sneaking away from any prying eyes, the dark haired teen stood stock still behind a stone column, checking to make sure the coast was clear.

John then worked his way through the maze of the palace until he reached the door to the gardens. The wind whipped against his navy blue tunic, the fabric billowing in the breeze. For some reason, John always felt at peace out doors with tiny gusts of air caressing his pale skin.

Upon exiting the palace, his sapphire orbs locked onto a flash of red turning the corner in the hedge maze. How did one of his guests end up all the way out here. Deciding to turn this into one of his fantasy stories, the heir trailed after the mysterious figure. After twisting and turning, he finally stumbled into the clearing right in the center of the maze.

Standing in wait for him was the very person he followed in here. Instantly, John recognized the uniform that only knights wore: a hooded cape with two layers of shirts. That's when John took in the color of the outfit, red.

"Are you a Knight of Time?" He wondered, his voice echoing through the night. "As in, a hero who fights brave battles?" John's curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Depends, who's asking?" The Knight turns around and his hood falls back revealing platinum blond locks underneath. He sends John a lopsided smile. "The Heir of Breath finally shows himself. I must say it is an honor," the blond says approaching John, "Your majesty." The Knight takes Johns hand and brushes his lips against his knuckles.

"U-uh..." John stutters, a rosy hue dusting his cheeks.

"Don't swoon over me yet, I'm just getting started." He declares, giving John a pointed look, crimson eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What? I mean I'm flattered, but we just met, and I don't know your name." John rambles on, trying to push back the jitters in his stomach.

"Dave Strider, at your service." He mock bows. The name Strider registers with John.

"You're Prince Dirk's cousin, right? You know, from the Kingdom of Heart." Dave groans at the name.

"Yes, I'm related to that heartless bastard, but you're messing me up here." Dave huffs, perching onto the stone bench. John awkwardly scratches his head, feeling out of place.

"Sorry..." John kicks a small pebble across the cobblestone walkway. "It's sweet and all, but I'm not looking for someone right now." Dave's head perks up at this new information.

"Then why the hell are you throwing a ball in order to pick up ladies then? I mean honestly, John, I planned out this entire monologue and now you blew it." John slowly strolled over to stand in front of the Knight.

"Okay, then I'll make it up to you."

"Oh really, how?" Dave asked, ruby red eyes meeting sapphire.

"Um... Not sure yet. I mean, I feel really bad for letting you down and all." John shuffles his feet a bit. Dave's eyebrows shoot up.

"Yep, I'm all bummed out now. Looks like this party's over then." He stood up and smoothed down his trousers. Just as he was about to reenter the maze, John grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" He all but shouted, unsure as to what he was even doing. "Can we stay here a bit longer? I mean, I really hate the ball going on, and my father planned it and stuff. And besides, it's really nice just talking out here where it's quiet-"

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." And then Dave pulled John closer to him, lips locked. At first, the Heir had no clue what to do. If he was being honest, this was his first kiss. Ever.

And it felt amazing. Dave's soft lips moved against his own, creating friction between the two. It was like a spark igniting through John, warming him up from his core. And he liked it. _Really_ liked it. He wanted to fan the flames more, start a wildfire. He needed to remember this moment, memorize every movement they made against each other. Like Dave's hands tangling themselves in John's messy hair. Or the feel of Dave's shoulder muscles rippling beneath his palms. And holy crap, this Dave guy knew what he was doing.

Before he knew it, the kiss was over and the cape he once followed into the maze disappeared into the sea of green. The Heir was too stunned to move or call out. He merely stood there, among the crisp air of April, trying to grasp the concept of what just occurred. As he moved forward, he heard a crumpling sound.

Under his foot was a sliver of paper. When did that get there? John picked it up and then read the note inscribed on it.

**'See you around' -DS**


	2. Second Encounter: LOHAC

**AN: Omg! Thank you guys so much for all the reviews/favs/follows! ^.^ I'm actually super excited to write this like you have no idea. And I was considering making this a two-shot but that's not gonna happen now ;) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! **

Two months. Ever since that night two months ago, John could not get Dave out of his mind. The feel of the Knight's lips against his own, or his scent kept a majority of his mind occupied. Oh god, his scent. It seemed cliché, but John swears that anytime he smells cinnamon, a certain blond comes to mind.

And his note: 'See you around'. Usually one would take that as a definite sign of seeing someone within the week, but no, not this time around. Sure, John thought himself a patient person, but damn was he on edge. It wasn't just the absence of Dave that bugged him, but the constant reminder that his father needed him to get married by his 21st birthday. For what reason, the ravenette had no clue.

John sighed, burying his head under the silken sheets of his bed. Why did his life have to be so complicated now? Wasn't it supposed to be easier than this? A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." John mumbled against his pillow, turning away from the doors. Bad idea on his part. Before he knew it, his thin frame was crushed against his guest.

"Guess who?" A high-pitched voice asked. John smiled, rolling to the other side of the bed.

"Jade! What are you doing here?" John wondered, attempting to pat down his bed head. Sadly, he lost that war, 42:0 hair.

"I was just coming back from the Hope Kingdom! Jake says hi by the way." John nodded, remembering his distant cousin. Last he heard, Jake was seeing… Dirk Strider. The heir hid his face with his hands. Was this some weird genetic thing or were Striders just naturally good looking? John figured the latter. After a minute, Jade snapped her fingers in front of John's face.

"What?"

"You were spacing out there. Something on your mind?" Her large emerald eyes peered at him through full moon spectacles.

"Er… No?" John managed, knowing he'll be caught. His cousin was naturally good at this type of thing. After all, one of her newer friends, Nepeta, had some sort of chart explaining who she thinks looks best together. Who knows, maybe Jade's now an expert on romance. John can see it now: Jade sitting in a chair asking him how he feels about things. Or maybe even Rose.

"Come on, John, I know something's bugging you." She nudged him playfully, easing him into "spilling these so called beans".

"I'm perfectly fine, honest." His eyes avoided her knowing gaze.

"Uh huh. So who is it? Did you meet this person at the ball?" A huge grin broke out over her features. John ducked his head, hoping that the bed sheets would swallow him. Anything to get away from this conversation.

"Sort of." He started. He twiddled his thumbs, considering the best way to tell her about what happened. Well, it is Jade, and he knows she's the most understanding person he's ever met. It'll be worth a shot. "I met Dave Strider out in the gardens."

"Oh my gosh!" She squealed, bouncing up and down on the mattress. Her hands found John's and she squeezed. Hard. "That's adorable! Tell me everything!" She leaned in close, ready to absorb his every word like a sponge. It all came tumbling out in a mish mash of words. He explained how he found Dave, and briefly mentioned the kiss. Needless to say, Jade was biting her hand to keep her emotions in check.

"And then I found this note." John pulled the tiny slip of paper from under his pillow. Jade's eyes swept across it before locking onto the heir's.

"You know what this means, don't you?" She jumped to her feet, pacing the length of the bed.

"No..?"

"It means, you need to go visit him, soon." John flushed at the thought of seeing Dave again.

"Um how? In case you forgot, the Time Kingdom is halfway across the world." He reasoned, flopping back onto the soft mattress. Looks like his love life wasn't going to be as interesting as his books. But really, what did he expect? Traveling around the world on an epic treasure hunt and getting the girl in the end? In retrospect, said girl may be a guy, but John just might work with that.

"Hello, you have me, remember?" Jade nudged him. John gave her a curious glance, his brow raised in anticipation. "John, what is my title?" She groans, smile wavering.

"The Witch of Space?"

"Exactly! And what can I do?"

"Uhhh…" John trails off, not exactly sure himself.

"I can manipulate the size and momentum of something." She deadpanned, waiting for John to register what she was saying.

"So what you're saying is we need to get some ice cream in here ASAP?" John finished, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"I won't even bother trying to tell you." She sighed before John felt a tingling sensation.

"Jade, what's happening?"

"Tell Dave I said hi!" She waved before the world around John blurred. He was sure he left his stomach back in his room with the way this ride was going. Moments later, everything stopped moving and John slowly opened his closed eyes.

The landscape around him felt… hot? John's eyes scoped out his surroundings only to find himself atop a giant steel tower. Below, amber light illuminated the sky above him. He cautiously approached the edge and peeked over. Lava.

The sight seemed strange to the heir, since he never actually experienced anything remotely close to this before. Well, that's all that ran through his mind before a force launched him over the edge, hurtling towards the molten lava.

The heir's arms flailed about, attempting to grasp something, anything. As luck would have it, his hand latched onto a chain dangling below his original location. John's breaths came out harshly as his wide eyes stared at the scene below him. He'd go as far as to say that the drop was roughly ten feet. In some sick twist of fate, the chain supporting him dropped four feet before jerking to a halt.

He considered climbing up the chain in order to escape but with it being unstable, his chances were looking rather slim. John pondered over whether or not to call out to someone, but in this terrain, would anyone even consider living here?

"Yo, you alright?" A voice called down to John. His head whipped up to try to locate his possible savior.

"U-um maybe. Well, I will be if you pull me up." He shouted back. The figure disappeared for a moment before John felt himself being pulled up. His arms began to shake from the effort of supporting his weight. He had no idea how much longer he could hang on. "You might want to hurry!"

"Patience young grasshopper." That's when the chain started to sway. Not good. If you counted the fact that John's hands were slick with perspiration, this situation was not looking up. His hold on the metal slipped until he was hanging on the last link. "Shit."

"Anytime now." John felt as if a cold dead rock had lodged itself in his throat. He was going to die. It didn't matter what the person above him did, chances were, his remaining strength would fade. John thought about his time in the castle. He remembered his half sister, Jane, and their mutual love for Colonel Sassacre's. He also recalled visits from Jake and how the two would always run about the castle, as if trekking through dangerous territory. John wasn't ready to meet his demise yet. He still had so much to do, like trying to find the elusive Dave Strider.

Right as his muscles were relaxing in his hand, he felt an arm snake around his waist.

"Got you."


End file.
